Apparatus for delivering casting material under pressure to dies



l.. H. MORIN V2,224,981

APPARATUS FOR DELIVERING CASTNG MATERIAL UNDER PRESSURE TO DIES Dec. 17, 1940.

2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed NOV.' 22, 1958 I IVY;

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@wsa Dec. 17, 1940. L, H, MORIN 2,224,981

APPARATUS FOR DELIVERING CASTING MATERIAL UNDER PRESSURE TO DIES Filed Nov.. 22, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 -Zgf 4o 3/ fz r INVENTOR 0am b. /Wa/e//V ATTORNE A vPatented Dec. 17, 1940 PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS Fon n MATERIAL UNDER ELIVERING CASTING PRESSURE T DIES Louis H. Morin, Bronx, N. Y., assigner to Whitehall Patents Corporation, Bronx, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application N o vember 22, 1938, Serial No. 241,745

10 Claims.

This invention relates to what are known as die casting machines and particularly to what is commonly termed the gooseneck structure of the pot containing the heated casting material, from which the casting material is discharged through a nozzle at the free end of the gooseneck under pressure into suitable dies in forming pressure die castings. More particularly, the invention relates to a novel method of controlling and regulating the feed of the casting material into the gooseneck and through the discharge nozzle thereof so as to maintain the casting material in the discharge passage of the gooseneck and adjacent the discharge orifice of the nozzle thereof intermediate the injection strokes of the machine, and further in accomplishing this result by a valve constituting part of the plunger employed for pressure discharging the casting material from said nozzle. The novel features of the invention will be best understood from the following description and annexed drawings, in which one embodiment of the invention is disclosed and in which the separate parts of the device or apparatus are designatedby suitable ref- 25erence characters in each of the views, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through a melting pot of a die casting machine showing the gooseneck thereof in section.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing only a part of the construction on an enlarged scale and with parts in a different position,

Fig.` 3 is a sectional detail view of part of the structure shown in Fig. 2 and with parts in another position.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing a modification.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a part of the construction shown in Fig. l of the drawings, and

Fig. 6 is a face view of a part of the structure shown in Fig. 2.

In the art of die casting, that is to say, the pressure feeding of a casting material into the impression of suitable dies, it has been the common practice to provide a passage in the goose'- neck for admitting casting material into v the chamber thereof below a piston or plunger employed for the pressure discharge of the casting material from the gooseneck, which passage is sealed in the downward movement of the plunger. However, on the upward stroke of the' plunger, intermediate successive casting operations, the passage is uncovered and the casting material in the gooseneck is lowered to a level fixed by' the 55 .level oi' material in the pot. In this operation air is drawn into the gooseneck passage, not only by the lowering of the material in said passage, but by the suction created in the upward movement of the plunger. This method of procedure has been seemingly satisfactory in what I term slow 5 speed casting machines, and in fact has operated with a reasonable degree of success in machines producing a successive series of castings at the rate of about two hundred per minute.`

However, I have found from careful study and 10 experimentation that regardless of the speed of operation, castings having perfect definitions are diillcult to produce in accordance with-this old process or method of procedure. It is the purpose of my present invention to obviate these ob- 15 iectionable features in the present or so-called slow speed casting machine, while at the same time providing a gooseneck construction or method of controlling and regulating the pressure dis charge of the casting material so as to provide zo for the production of what I term high speed die castings; that is to say, the formation of a successive series of individual die castings at the rate of six hundred and fty to eight hundred or more castings per minute, especially in the production a5 of what are termed small die castings, the size of the casting being formed, controlling to some degree, the speed of operation of the machine.

In Figs. l to 3 of the drawings, one embodimentv of the invention is disclosed. it being understood 30 that the particular type and design or general structure of -the melting pot employed may be constructed and designed to suit machines of various types. In Fig. 1 of the drawings, 5 represents the pot proper which is provided with an 35 inlet passage 5 opening through the lower end thereof 'in the manner illustrated, so that products of combustion from a gas or other burner 1 may pass over the bottom of the pot 5 and around passages at the sides thereof andfthen 40 out through a flue passage 8 having a pipe extension 9 in communication therewith. At l0 is shown an outer casing encircling the pot between which and the wall of the pot is arranged asbestos and other insulation Il, a lower cover plate 5 I2 being employed to support the asbestos in the manner illustrated. At I3 is indicated a pyrometer bulb providing a temperature control for the heated material in the pot. All of this structure is substantially the same as that disclosed in my prior Patent #2,106,505, and as previously stated is shown simply to illustrate one adaptation of my present invention.

At Il I have shown a gooseneck having a lower casing portion I5, a chamber I6 therein opening 55 upwardly through a perpendicular tube I1 in which is seated a bushing I8 of any suitable material. In some uses of the invention, the bushing I8 will be composed of ahard material, such for example as tungsten carbide or tantalum carbide, in accordance with the teachings in my prior application, Serial No. 91,479, filed July 20, 1936, which has 'since matured into Patent No. 2,145,553 of January 31, 1939.

At one side of the casing I5 is an upwardly and laterally extending tube I9 having a passage 20 therein which opens into the chamber I6 through a port 2| in the bushing I8. The upper end of the tubular extension I 9 is beveled as seen at 22 to seat .in a suitable bearing 5a in the pot 5 and to be held therein in any desired manner preferably so as to provide quick attachment and detachment of the gooseneck I4 as a whole from the pot whenever desired. Secured in the outer upper end of the extension I9 is a nozzle 23 having a discharge passage as at 24. By employing a nozzle 23 which is detachable with respect to the gooseneck extension i9, this nozzle may be readily replaced or nozzles of different sizes or having diierent size discharge passages 24 can be employed.

The casing I 5 or the tubular portion I 1 thereof is provided with a port 25 which places the chamber I6 in communication with the casting material 26 in the pot through a port or aperture 21 formed in the bushing I8 it being understood that various metals or metal alloys are used as the casting materials referred to.

At 28 is shown the plunger employed for the pressure discharge of the casting material. The lower end of this plunger is provided at one side with a downward projecting circumferentially segmental extension 29 which forms a valve end on said plunger which is provided with a port 30 therein adapted to register with the port 2| as later described. The lower end 28a of the plunger 28 at the opposite side of the valve extension 29 also vfunctions as a valve controlling the opening and closing of the port 21 in the complete cycle of operation of the plunger. It will of course be understood that the plunger 28 is maintained in the circumferential position illustrated in the drawings by suitable means for keying the same or by the means employed for coupling the same with its operating mechanism, all of which forms no particular part of the present invention.

It will be understood that the chamber I6 extends into the bushing I8 and is sealed by the plunger 28, depending upon the position thereof in the bushing. With the construction shown, the passage 2D in the bore of the tube I9 forms a storage chamber which is independent of the chamber I6 but is placed in communication with the latter through ports 2| 30 when brought into registering position. It is by virtue of this construction that the casting material is held in the passage 20 to maintain the casting material at the upper end of the passage 20 adjacent the disciarge port 24 of the nozzle, as is indicated at 2 a'.

In Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, I have shown diagrammatically, one of the die parts 3| of a pair of relatively movable dies, a face view of the die part being illustrated so as to show the impression 32v therein and the gate or admission passage 33. A core pin 34 is also indicated as arranged between adjacent surfaces of the two die parts so that the casting may be formed therecn and the core pin used to eject the casting from the impression 32 and whereby the same may be stripped oi by engaging the lower surface 3|a of the die part 3| in the manner indicated in Fig. 2 after which the core returns to its normal position. In Fig. 2 of the drawings, the nozzle 23 is indicated as engaging the surface of the die 3|, but in some types of machines, the nozzle may be moved toward and from the die intermediate the casting operations. In some forms of construction, the nozzle moves with one of the die parts in y the separation thereof to maintain the passage 24 substantially closed or sealed.

In the operation of my improved gooseneck or discharge device, it will be understood that in the extreme upward movement of the plunger 28, the same will assume a position substantially similar to that illustrated in Fig. 2 wherein the lower end 28a of the plunger has fully uncovered the port 21 to allow casting material to enter the chamber I6 therethrough and through the port 25; whereas the port 2| is sealed by the valve extension 29 on the plunger which supports the column of the casting material in the passage 20 substantially as is indicated in Fig. 2, assuming that the machine has been in operation.

In the operation of pressure discharging the casting material, the plunger 28 moves downwardly, and in this operation the port 21 is shut oil`= by the lower end 28a. At the same instant the port 30 is brought into a slight registration with the port 2|, and beginning with this period, the pressure discharge of the casting material becomes effective and some of the material in the chamber I6 is forced into the passage 20, and the material in said passage is discharged under pressure through the discharge port 24 of the nozzle into the impression 32 of the die through the gate or admission passage 33. It will be understood that the nozzle has been brought into registering alinement with the dies or the gate 33 prior to the above operation. On completing the downward stroke of the plunger, the ports 2|, 30 Will never be fully closed, or in other words will be at least partially open asis indicated in Fig. 3 of the drawings. In the upward movement of the plunger, the port 2| Will be rst closed by the valve extension 29 and then the port 21 immediately opened to admit a new charge of casting material into the chamber I6 to replace the material previously discharged therefrom in the downward movement of the plunger. In the above operation, it will be understood thatthere will be av slight drop of the casting material in the'passage 20 which will be sufcient to simply clear the discharge port or orifice 24 of the nozzle. However, in view` of the proposed high speed operation of the plunger, this condition amounts to a momentary one, and the drop of casting material in the passage 20 will be hardly noticeable or detectable.

. In the above described operation, it will be understood that the ports or passages 2|, 30 come into full registering position with each other in the -upward or return stroke of the plunger, but this takes place while the plunger seals the passage 21, the latter being open instantly upon the full closure of the passage 2|. 'Ihus the -valve 29 will check and prevent return of the casting material aside from, the slight drop of the material in the passage 20 due to the momentary registration of the passage 30 with the passagev 2| in the quick upward movement of the plunger 28. It will of course be understood that when the casting material is pressure injected into the cavity or impression 32 of the dies, the same is chilled or solidified therein, and as the nozzle is held Cil Cil

momentarily in registering position with the dies, the solidified casting material will act as a seal aiding and preventing an appreciable drop of the casting material in the bore or passage 20 which might be assisted, to some degree, by the suction created in the upward movement of the plunger 28, when the ports 2|, 3D are in registering position, in this upward stroke. Here again it is to be borne in mind that the high speed operation of the machine measures these various factors in minute periods, especially when the plunger is operating at the rate of six hundred and fty or more operations per minute. It will also be apparent in this connection that such an action upon the column of material in the passage 20 is cut off instantly upon sealing the passage 2| with the'valve 29 as is illustrated in Fig.,2 of the drawings.

It will be understood that, in the conventional methods of die casting, material was permitted to drop in the discharge passage of the gooseneck to an appreciable degree, and the column of air in the passage above the material would have to be first displaced through the dies or from the impression 32 of the die to insure the formation of a reasonably accurate casting, that is to say a casting having a reasonably good denition of the cavity. With my construction and method, this undesirable air column is reduced to a minimum if not entirely dispensed with, and insures the formation of die castings having substantially accurate definitions and finish throughout. It will thus be seen that the present invention is adaptable for use in connection with all types and kinds of die casting machines; that is to say machines of the slow as well as the high speed type. In all cases, more perfect or more accurate castings are formed, and at the same time considerable time and labor is saved which has been heretofore necessary in the cleaning out, repair and/or replacement of goosenecks or gooseneck parts in the eiort of maintaining the same in a proper operative condition.

It has been a practice to utilize long rods arranged inthe discharge passage, such as the passage 20, of a gooseneck to`control and regulate at least to some degree, the .discharge of the casting material and to facilitate the use of a relatively large diameter in such bore or passage. However, in the use of rods of this type, the same become oxidized from time to time and must be removed and replaced in order to provide successful casting operations of the machine. Here again, with my present invention, I may maintain a relatively large passage 20 and dispense entirely with the use of such rods, and thereby dispense with and eliminate the nuisance as well as the loss of time and inconvenience in repeatedly removing and replacing such rods to say nothing of the saving in the increased production which is obtained by eliminating the necessity for such intermittent repairs or replacements. By maintaining the passage 20 of the gooseneck substantially filled with the material at all times, I eliminate oxidation in the passage and thus provide long life for the entire gooseneck structure.

It will of course be understood that the size of the various ports and passages and particularly the port 30, may be increased or decreased to suit the particular type and kind of casting to be formed, or in other words. to compensate for the amount of casting material to be discharged into a given die.

In some instances where it is desirable to substantially eliminate any drop whatever of the material in the passage 20 or the nozzle, the plunger 28 may be given a rotary reciprocating movement so that in moving from its lowermost position to the uppermost position, the passage 30 may be moved out of registering position with the passage 2| and then return to register with the passage 2| on the next down stroke of the plunger. This operation can be performed by any of the common known means. In fact, any means, apart from the particular manner herein described for operating the plunger, may be. employed to accomplish this particular result in carrying out my improved method which is dependent upon the sealing or closing of the passage 2| after the discharge of casting material from the nozzle, that is to say intermediate successive injection strokes of the plunger.

It will be understood that by sealing the passage 2|, intermediate the injection strokes of the plunger, the possibility of drawing an excess amount of air into the passage 20 or the building up of an internal pressure in this passage, is obviated, and the degree of controlling this seal may be, as originally described, in conjunction with the disclosure, or by incorporating the rotary movement to the nozzle or the valve 29 thereofto bring the ports 2| 30 in non-registering position at the end of the injection stroke and prior to the upward stroke of the plunger to eifect a substantially positive seal of the passage 2| in said upward stroke of the plunger.

In certain operations of casting machines, particularly of the slower type, that is to say those operating at two hundred revolutions or strokes per minute and less, it may be desirable to incorporate a separate heating unit, preferably of the electric type on the nozzle 23, for example in accordance with the teachings in Patent No. 2,026,904 granted January 7, 1936, so as to maintain the casting material at the desired temperature within said nozzle and prevent any question of solidification thereof. However in high speed machines, this of course will not be essential in that the material is being moved so fast that it would have no opportunity to become chilled or solidified. j

My improved apparatus --or device and the novel method of injection molding or casting asv herein set forth may be said to be an air-free or substantially air-free discharge of the heated casting material. It will be understood in this connection that in certain forms of the device Ias hereinbefore described, the casting material may be held at the discharge end of the orifice or passage of the nozzle by maintaining a complete seal of the discharge passage intermediate the successive operations of the plunger. It might also be said that the desired result is produced by providing means for checking the backward suction on the ,column of casting material in the discharge passage in the upward stroke of the plunger, which, if left unchecked in a high speed` machine, might actually result in' vention will operate regardless of the relative positions of the nozzle and the receptacle or the level of casting material in the receptacle, in that its operation is dependent upon the controlling valve and not upon the level of material in the pot. In this connection it is also to be understood that in various types and kinds of casting machines, different forms and types of goosenecks and discharge nozzles are employed. In considering the gooseneck construction disclosed, this device may be said to have a main storage chamber as at |6, and a supplemental storage chamber at 20. The latter forms the storage for material to be directly transmitted to the die and arranged for the so-called airfree discharge of the material into the die, whereas the main storage chamber acts as the pump or pressure chamber which replenishes the supplemental storage chamber with a supply of material consistent with that displaced therefrom for injection into the mold cavity.

In Figs. 4 to 6 inclusive, is shown a slight modiiication, particularly in the construction of and manner of controlling the operation of a plunger 35. 'I'his plunger is arranged and operates lin a gooseneck structure I4 similar in all respects to that shown in Figs. 1 and 2, therefore like references will indicate like parts and a detail description of the gooseneck structure need not here be repeated. In other words, the same sleeve, bushing or liner I8 is arranged in the tube |1 and is provided with the ports 2|, 21 to register with the ports or passages 20, 25 respectively.

The plunger 35 differs from the plunger 23 in the provision of means for adjusting the plunger vertically so as to control registration of a spirally arranged port 36 with respect to the port 2| to provide an accurate desired adjustment in registration with the port 2|, consistent with the registration of the port or passage 31 with the port 21. In the construction shown, the passages 36, 31 are in the form of grooves on the outer surface of the plunger adjacent the lower end 36 thereof. 'Ihe groove 36 is spiralled downwardly whereas the groove 31 is arranged circumferentially, length thereof an equal distance with respect to the lower end 3l of the plunger. The grooves 36 and 31 are placed in communication with or open through the end 36 in feed grooves 36a, 31a so as to permit the passage of the casting material from the chamber I6 into the grooves 36, 31.

To adjust the plunger 35 vertically in the proper setting thereof, a split clamp ring 39 is arranged on the upper end of the plunger and is clamped in position by a screw or bolt 40 passed through the split ends 4| thereof, the ring carrying at one side a projecting 1ug-42 which operates in a channel 43 arranged upon the gooseneck or supportedin any other desired manner so as to key the ring 33 against rotation. The upper end of the plunger 35 has an internally threaded bore 44 to receive an extension rod 45 which places the plunger in operative engagement with the means for actuating the same. 'I'he rod 45 is retained ,against rotation by the means usually employed. It will lthus be, seen that by loosening the clamp collar 33, the plunger 35 may be raised and lowered on the rod 45 and then clamped and keyed againstfurtherrotary movement.

In order to indicateto the operator the degree of adjustmenhmade, for lthe proper setting of the plunger, theplunger will beprovided with an arrow or otherl mark 46 ,which is adapted to formation of the respective plungers.

maintaining throughout the,

register with suitable scale markings 41 on the lower beveled surface of the ring 39. In this way a more or less micrometer adjustment may be kinds of castings or castings of diilerent sizes in a single machine, and further to provide accurate timing between the closure of one port and opening of the other port in accomplishing the desired results heretofore expressed lndetail. A device constructed in this manner will obviate the necessity of exact duplication of parts especially in the replacement of plungers, and further will avoid the necessity of very accurate original It will be understood that the groove 36 will be made with respect to the groove 31 to produce substantially the desired result when the ports 2|, 21 register with the central portionsof said grooves, so that the plunger may be raised or lowered a slight degree in providing a slower or quicker registration of the groove 36 with the port 2| in the downward movement of the plunger. In this connection it will be understood that the position of the parts as seen in Fig. 4 is substantially the same as that shown in Fig. 1. In other words, the plunger is in an intermediate position in the' downward stroke thereof, where the port 21 is closed and the port or passage 36 is beginning to register with the port 2|.

It will also be apparent that the angularity of the port or passage 36 with respect to the port 2| in addition to providing the control adjustment also minimizes the degree of opening between the port and passage especially at the initial opening period.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a gooseneck for die casting machines, said gooseneck having a discharge passage with a nozzle discharge at one end thereof, a storage chamber at the other end of the passage, a port placing the storagev chamber .in communication with a source of supply of casting material, an-

other port placing the storage chamber in com! means for adjusting the plunger to regulate the timing of the registration of the last named means with said second named port.

` 2. In a gooseneck for die casting machines, said gooseneck having a discharge passage with a nozzle discharge at Yone end thereof, a storage chamber at the other kend of the passage, a port placing the storage chamber in vcommunication with a source of supply of casting material, an-

, other port placing the storage chamber in communication with the discharge passage, a plunger movable in said gooseneck for pressure discharging casting material from said storage chamber through the discharge passage, means on the plunger controlling the opening and closing of the first named port, other means on the plunger placing the storage chamber in communication with the second named port, means for adjusting the plunger to regulate the timing of the registration of the last named means with said second named port, said last named means including a clamp collar for engaging the plunger to retain the same in dierent positions of adjustment, and means on the plunger and collar for indicating degrees of adjustment of said plunger. Y

3. A plunger for pressure discharging casting material from the gooseneck of a melting pot, the discharge end portion of said plunger having a pair of independent passages, one passage con-A trolling the admission of casting material into the gooseneck from a source of supply, the other passage controlling the discharge of casting material from the gooseneck, both passages extending circumferentially of the plunger, the second named passage being arranged spirally, and means at the other end portion of the plunger for adjusting the same longitudinally of its support and operating means and for retaining the same in di'erent positions of adjustment in controlling registration of the passages with the respective ports in the movement of the plunger in said gooseneck.

4. A gooseneck of the class described comprising a cylinder, a plunger movably-mounted in the cylinder, the cylinder having ,longitudinally and circumferentially spaced intake and discharge ports, theintake port introducing material, from a source of supply, into the cylinder below saidplunger, the plunger descending in the cylinder 40 being adapted to force casting material therein through the discharge port of the cylinder, means actuated by the plunger sealing the discharge port in the raised position of the plunger and While the intake port is open, means including the last named means whereby in the closure of the intake port, in the downward movement of the plunger, the discharge port is immediately opened to the cylinder in pressure discharging the casting material through said discharge port, and adjustable means for setting the .relationship of closing the intake port with respect to the opening of the discharge port in controlling the pressure discharge of casting material from said cylinder.

5. In a device for transmitting casting material from a source of supply to a discharge nozzle for admission into the impression of relatively movable dies, a cylinder in said device, an intake port placing said cylinder in communication with the storage supply of casting material, another port for placing said cylinder in communication with the discharge nozzle, a plunger operating in the cylinder to pressure discharge ,casting material therefrom through the discharge port to said nozzle, means on the plunger controlling said intake and discharge ports to open the discharge prt to the cylinder immediately upon the closing of the intake port to said cylinder, and adjustable means for accurately regulating the relative closing and opening movements of said intakeand vdischarge ports.

6. In devicesior pressure discharging heated casting material intorelatively movable dies, a plunger for pressure discharging said heated material from the device, said plunger having circumferentially arranged and spaced intake and discharge passages controlling the intake and discharge of casting material with respect to said device, and said plunger being adjustable to control the relative closing of the intake and opening of the discharge in the pressure discharge of the casting material by the operation of said plunger.

7. In devices for pressure discharging heated casting material into relatively movable dies, a plunger for pressure discharging said heated material from the device, said plunger having circumferentially arranged and spaced intake and discharge passages controlling the intake and dischargeof casting material with respect to said device, said plunger being adjustable to control the relative closing of the intake and opening of the discharge in the pressure discharge of the casting material by the operation of said plunger, at least one of said passagesbeing spirally arranged upon said plunger, and means for indicating diierent positions of adjustment of said plunger.

8. In a gooseneck of the class described comprising a cylinder having an intake port registering with a source of supply and a discharge port registering with the discharge passage of the gooseneck, a plunger longitudinally movable and rotatably adjustable in said cylinder, means on said plunger controlling said intake port, other means on said plunger controlling said discharge port, said last named means comprising a spirally arranged passage adapted to register with said discharge port, and means on said plunger for gaging and setting the rotary adjustment thereof to provide opening of each of said-ports instantaneously upon the closing of the other of said ports in the longitudinal movement of the plunger.

9. A die-casting machine comprising a cylinder having a closed end and a plunger reciprocable in said cylinder, said cylinder having outlet and ainlet ports adjacent said closed end, said inlet port-being opened and closed by movement of said plunger, a valve member on said plunger arranged to close said outlet port and to open it only when said inlet port is entirely closed by said plunger, and' means to adjust said valve member lengthwise of the cylinder, for the purpose set forth.

10. A die-casting machine comprising a cylinder havinga closed end and a plunger reciprocable in said cylinder, said cylinder having outlet and inlet ports adjacent said closed end, said inlet port being opened and closed by' movement of said plunger, a valve member on said plunger aropen it at the instant that closing of the inlet port is completed, and .means to adjust said valve member lengthwise of the cylinder, for the purpose set forth.

LOUIS H. MORIN.

Y ranged to close said outlet port and to start to 

